Sailing

Huge swell rolls in from the Atlantic causing the MS Oldenburg to pitch and roll with each passing monster of a wave. Two colours dominate, deep blue ocean with each wave capped in white and a blue sky holding pure and dazzling cumulus clouds beneath the summer sun. Then, on the horizon, the misty shape of Lundy Island appears, home to incredible wildlife and some of the best rock climbing in England on her golden granite sea cliffs.   During my holiday on Lundy, while staring out o...

This year is your season, your boat has the latest technology, new sails, and you have selected your crew. It’s time to set the boat up and train to win!   On the water you follow the sailmakers polars, you know exactly what speeds and angles you need to hit for the conditions. You are almost there, but not quite. This is where smarttune from Cyclops comes in.    Get your forestay tension right, match the sag to make your sails set the way your sail designer ...

Oyster is a celebrated name across the marine industry, synonymous with quality and innovation. Despite some difficulty in previous years, Oyster have established themselves as the world’s leading builder of Blue Water Cruising yachts, with their latest release the Oyster 565 being no exception. We sat down with Paul Adamson, their Chief Commercial Officer to talk about what has made Oyster so successful, even in the wake of big changes within the business.   “Every ...

Cyclops Marine Limited develops load sensors that bring America’s Cup technology to ordinary sailors. Get the edge with repeatable settings which help find and maintain superior speeds.   Remember your best race? Everything clicked. You were in a different gear than everyone else. You pointed higher off the start line. You were going faster than the competition. The following day you go to repeat it all, and you just can’t find the same gear.   Professional ...

"If you've moved onto bigger boats and have forgotten what fun dinghies can be, the Wagtail is the boat to remind you" - David Harding of the Practical Boat Owner Magazine.  These hand-crafted Solent dinghies are now a rare find having been withdrawn from manufacture around 5 years ago. We had our wagtail Dinghy built in 2001. A lot of research was done before we decided on this particular dinghy. We went to various boat shows, and did a lot of research online, and by othe...

The Needles Channel can be a fearsome place to sail. Tales of yachtsmen who have crossed the Atlantic and encountered their roughest seas here only miles from the safety of the Solent need to be listened to. Today huge waves sweep clean over our bow, flooding the deck’s knee-deep in water. The power of wind and sea is intimidating. Towering waves relentlessly sweep in from the west, filling the air with spray. To our starboard, a small yacht heading downwind towards Yarmouth gets broached ...